High-temperature, low-pressure carburization of Si using a face-to-face configuration.

Nanocrystalline silicon carbide (SiC) thin films are conventionally fabricated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). However, when Si substrates are used, high-temperature growth can induce excessive Si transport and consumption, leading to local Si depletion and interfacial void formation. To address this issue, two polished Si surfaces were placed face-to-face to form a confined reaction space. Comprehensive structural and surface analyses using SEM, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and XRD reveal that face-to-face configuration (FFC)-grown samples show characteristic 3C-SiC features, while the reduced apparent growth thickness helps mitigate excessive Si consumption and severe subsurface void formation. Importantly, FFC regulates the growth process by reducing the apparent growth rate and limiting excessive Si consumption, thereby mitigating severe subsurface void formation under low-pressure and high-temperature conditions. These results suggest that FFC can serve as a local confinement strategy for regulating Si consumption and SiC thin-film growth on Si under low-pressure conditions.